


I'll Be Seeing You

by tablelamp



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: Canonical Past Character Death, Gen, Ghosts, Grief/Mourning, Halloween, Missing Lost Friends, Reuniting with Lost Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 07:02:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20738159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tablelamp/pseuds/tablelamp
Summary: Hawkeye never went to the parties. Usually he stayed in his tent, catching up on his reading or otherwise pointedly ignoring the shadows...the ghosts. Most of the ghosts had taken that as a signal for them to ignore him too. But not this year.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cher/gifts).

> From the prompt:
> 
> "It's the day of the year when the dead can speak...The camp is full of ghosts. The first year in Korea, the camp panicked. Now, they know it's going to happen and they all deal with it in their own ways. Some people leave for the day. Some have parties for the ghosts. Some talk to as many as possible. Some don't leave but are terrified still. And Radar sits by himself to wait for Henry Blake."

Hawkeye never went to the parties. Usually he stayed in his tent, catching up on his reading or otherwise pointedly ignoring the shadows...the ghosts. Most of the ghosts had taken that as a signal for them to ignore him too. But not this year.

“Captain Pierce?” The words came from a shadow behind him.

Hawkeye didn’t turn around. He didn’t want to recognize anyone.

“Captain Pierce?” The voice was insistent.

Hawkeye forced himself to keep looking at his reading. “I hear you.”

“You probably don’t remember me. My name is Simons.”

“I remember you,” Hawkeye said. “Aortic dissection.”

There was a surprised silence. “That’s right.”

Hawkeye nodded. “I keep track of these things.”

“We know you don’t want to see us, but there are several of us here, and we have some things we wanted to say.”

“I see you all the time,” Hawkeye said. “It doesn’t have to be today.”

Another awkward silence. “What do you mean? We thought no one could—“

“I can’t hear you most days,” Hawkeye said. “But I see you.” He finally turned to look at the shadows. There were so many of them he almost couldn’t see the wall of the tent behind them. “One of the joys of being in the caring professions. The people you fail never go away. They never leave you. You always remember, and you always wonder if you could’ve done something to save them.”

“Then maybe it’s good that we’re here,” Simons said. “Because we know you couldn’t.”

“Your faith in my abilities is touching,” Hawkeye said.

“No, sir, that’s not what we mean. We know how badly we were hurt, and we know you did everything you could. We don’t blame you. We’re grateful.”

Hawkeye scoffed. “Grateful. How could you be grateful? You died on my table!”

“We may have died there, sir, but you didn’t put us there,” Simons said.

“Some of us are doctors and nurses ourselves,” said another voice. “We know how skilled you are.”

Another voice. “You didn’t save us, but you saved our brothers.”

Other voices chimed in. “Our sisters.”

“Our children.”

“Our friends.”

“And sometimes you bought us time.”

“Enough time to write a letter.”

“To say goodbye.”

Hawkeye shook his head, utterly overwhelmed. “I would’ve saved you all if I could.”

“We know,” Simons said. “And we wanted to thank you for trying.”

Hawkeye nodded, trying desperately not to cry. It was almost too much to be forgiven in this way. “I’d buy you a drink if I thought you could drink anything.”

There was a chorus of laughter from the crowd. “You’re right. We can’t. But thank you anyway, sir.”

Hawkeye nodded. “Much as I hate to say it, there may be new ones added to your number before I see you again. Will you help them? Look out for them? I’d do it myself if I could.”

“Of course we will,” Simons said.

“Thanks,” Hawkeye said. “There’s a party at Rosie’s later. Probably some people there will want to see you.” He turned back to his book, but hesitated. “Thank you for coming.”

A soft chorus of “you’re welcome” sounded through the tent as the ghosts passed through the canvas walls, insubstantial as air. 

Maybe next year Hawkeye would make an appearance at Rosie’s himself.


	2. Chapter 2

No one could tell who the ghosts were by looking at them. They looked like shadows, and the only way to see even a hint of someone's facial features was to turn your head away and pretend not to be looking. In the moment just before you turned back, Radar had learned, sometimes you could see a little, enough to know who it was. But if you weren't good at pretending to ignore someone, there was always the voice. The ghosts didn't look like themselves, but they sounded like themselves, and there were so many of them.

Radar was waiting for one in particular.

A shadow slid easily into the chair beside him. "Hello, Radar."

Radar caught his breath, tears coming involuntarily to his eyes as he recognized Colonel Blake's voice. "Hello, sir."

"You knew I'd be here, didn't you?" 

"This is the day the ghosts come back, sir. I hoped--I mean I thought--" Radar shook his head. "I wanted to see if you were all right."

"I'm all right," Blake said, his voice warm.

Radar nodded quickly. "That's good, sir. We think about you all the time here. We miss you." He cleared his throat, producing a pencil and pad from his pocket. "Uh, do you have any messages you'd like me to relay to your family, Colonel Blake?"

"I would, but I'm not sure they'd believe the message came from me," Blake said.

"I can always say it was something I found in your desk, sir," Radar said.

"In that case, Radar, take a letter," Blake said.

Radar couldn't hold back a smile at the familiar request. "Yes, sir." He wrote down what Colonel Blake said but tried not to listen too much. After all, it was a letter to his family, and it wouldn't be polite for Radar to eavesdrop.

"I think that's all," Blake said when he was finished.

Radar nodded, folding the paper and tucking it carefully into his pocket. "I'll put it in the mail first thing tomorrow morning. I'd put it in today, but mostly people don't do their regular jobs today. You remember." 

"I do. Thank you." Blake sounded somber.

"I still have your father's thermometer," Radar said, suddenly feeling he should be sure to say everything he needed to right this minute. "And I did what you said."

"What's that?"

Radar had to swallow through the lump in his throat. "I've been good."

Blake's voice had that familiar warmth in it when he spoke again. "I never doubted you would be."

"There's a party at Rosie's," Radar said. "For any of the people or ghosts who want to come. I know everyone would be happy to see you."

"Maybe next year," Blake said. "I'm not used to being a ghost yet."

Radar nodded. "I understand." He didn't exactly, but he was sure it must be strange. "Then you'll come back next year, sir?"

"Missing me already?"

Radar knew the comment was meant as a joke, but he couldn't bring himself to find it particularly funny. He stared at his lap, trying not to show how true that was. Then he felt something funny on his shoulder, something that felt like a soft breeze moving back and forth. When he looked up, he could see that Blake's ghost was resting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Blake said.

Radar shrugged. "It's just really good to see you. That's all."

"I'll be here next year," Blake said.

Radar nodded. "Me too. Any year you come, I'll be here."

"I hope not."

Radar turned to look at Blake, eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I hope you get to go home," Blake said.

Radar wanted to go home--of course he wanted to, but-- "It doesn't seem fair."

"Someone here should get to go home," Blake said. "Even if it isn't me."

Radar nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Thank you, Radar." Again, there was that strange breezy feeling on Radar's shoulder that meant Blake was trying to touch him. Then Blake's shadow moved from the chair, and Radar knew he was getting ready to leave. "I guess I should be on my way. Tell everyone I said hello."

"I will, sir," Radar said. "And sir?"

The shadow was halfway across the tent but stopped at Radar's words. "What is it?"

"I'll see you next year," Radar said.

"Next year it is," Blake said, sounding as though he were smiling. "Take care of yourself, Radar."

"Yes, sir," Radar said. "You too."

Radar turned his gaze away from Blake's shadow, then back again, and for just a moment, he could see Colonel Henry Blake, fishing hat and all, walking out of the tent and into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope it’s OK that I included this chapter even though you didn’t request Blake or Radar. The image of Radar waiting for Henry in your prompt refused to leave my imagination alone.


End file.
